This day was one of the hardest days of my life…Mom, Dad, Michael, Matthew, and I, The Whole Family, just moved into our new house in Easton, about two days before. We were in Marlborough for one of the last times in our house on Avalon Lane. We had to clean the house since almost everything had been packed and moved and it was also our time to say goodbye. The whole house was empty. 

I do not want to say goodbye, I thought to myself, holding back my tears. 

We pulled up the driveway (I was just eight, but I remember this moment in my life very vividly). We had to bring in wipes and cleaning supplies.

“Olivia and Michael, go start wiping down the windows with the cleaner.” Mom ordered. Michael and I began in the family room, then the living room, then the front foyer, to the dining room, and the kitchen, all in a perfect circle. 

I left Michael and ran upstairs. I turned to the right to Mom and Dad’s old bedroom, and then into the master bathroom. 

“Mom, I do not want to move…Can we stay?” I asked, already knowing the answer.

“No Olivia, you know we have to move. I know it’s hard to leave but it’ll be okay.” Mom tried to make me feel better but, it didn’t work. 

Once she said that I had a memory flash through my mind. It was when we first found out we were moving, Michael and I were waiting for the bus in the front foyer with mom and I had asked, “Mom, why do we have to move?” She seemed annoyed. She responded with, “I already told you.” But I had forgotten why. I was too afraid to ask again…Back in reality, then  had I known that it was because of Dad’s job. Mom was cleaning out under the sink in the master bath. 

As I walked through the house I felt like it was just as sad as I was to say goodbye. I stepped into my old bedroom, so empty, but at the same time, filled with so many memories. I decided to check back in with Michael.

“Hey Michael, how’s it going so far?” I asked.

“Uh it’s good, I guess.” He responded, not seeming to care much.

“Aren’t you sad that we’re never going to be in this house again?” I asked.

“Not really, I mean it’s just a house, it’s not that sad,” Michael said. I was so disappointed with what he said. 

My eyes started to fill with tears so I went into another room without giving a response. How could he say that? This house holds so many of our memories. I don’t want to leave. No, no, no, I thought, trying not to let what he said get to me. I sat on the ground in our old living room where our nice, comfy couch used to sit. Everyone around me was cleaning. I was too overwhelmed to clean. Yes, it is just a house but im going to miss it so much, I thought, downhearted. 

“Hey, Livvy?” Dad walked in the living room while holding some cleaning wipes.

“Yeah?” I responded, trying to make sure I wouldn’t cry again.

“Do you mind cleaning up the mudroom with these?” He held up the wipes in his hands.

“Uh, yeah sure, I don’t mind.” He handed me the Clorox Wipes and I proceeded to the mudroom towards the kitchen. I didn’t know what to clean so I just wiped down the bench with bins inside that we used to hold our shoes and hooks for our coats. I knew we weren’t staying for much longer which made me so mad that we had to say goodbye even sooner. Matthew walked in and greeted me.

“Hi, you need help?” He asked nicely.

“No I think Im done but I guess we could clean the floors since we have nothing else to do.” I answered even though I probably should have been cleaning another room instead of the floor that didn’t need to be cleaned.

“Okay, I guess.” Matthew sat on the floor with me and we started to scrub the floor with the wipes that Dad had given me earlier. We were definitely both bored out of our minds.

“Do you want to leave?” I asked, it was the only thing I could think about. 

“Well obviously not, but we kind of have to. Why, do you not think we’ll have fun in Easton? We’ll make new friends, and we’ll still visit Marlborough.” He reassured me, which everyone at this point was trying to do.

“Yeah, you’re right. We will make new friends and hopefully stay in touch with our friends here.” I started to feel a little better. The bench in front of us sat there, listening to our whole conversation.

“Exactly.” Matthew agreed. We sat there in silence for a few minutes until Mom and Michael walked through the doorway.

“Hey, kids I think we’re gonna get going soon.” Mom looked at us as if she was expecting us to stand up. Mom noticed I was down.

“Olivia. It’s going to be okay.” I was getting tired of hearing that. Again, my eyes became overfilled with tears about to come flooding out like water from a waterfall. Mom kneeled to hug me, which made the tears come rolling down. Dad walked in. 

“Oh hey! We’re leaving?” Dad asked, clueless of me being sad. Mom looked back and nodded instead of saying something. She let go of me and stood up. 

“Boys, go get all the supplies, they’re on the kitchen counter. Oh and make sure you did not leave any of the things you brought with you.” Mom directed. Mom looked at me like I was roadkill that she had just run over. Tears were still streaming down my face.

“Olivia, you’re okay, it’s fine, don’t cry,” Dad said with a soft smile. I didn’t answer. The boys walked into the mudroom with everything.

“Ok time to say goodbye.” Dad patiently said. Mom took my hand as we strolled through the house for the very last time. Every new room we entered I cried a little more. My room was there waiting for me, I waved goodbye. Mom hugged me and we came back to the mudroom again. 

“Is everyone done?” Dad asked. The boys and Mom nodded. “Alrighty…Lets hit the road.”

No. We have to stay. No. No, we’re not leaving, I thought, even though we had to leave and I knew that. I watched as the boys exited through the mudroom door and then out through the garage door. 

“Goodbye.” Michael and Matthew both said in unison.I started to cry even louder.

“No, please, no.” There was no use for me to keep repeating that. Mom picked me up on her hip like I was a baby again. She started walking out the door. I remember very well holding on to the doorway while mom was carrying me and I was hysterically crying, thinking it would help me stay longer. 

“Olivia, NO!” Mom shouted,worried about me. “Your fingers could have been cut off if you left them there with the swinging door!” I cried more. Mom kept assuring me it was fine. It wasn’t though. 

We entered the car, and drove off to our new house, all I thought was, all the childhood memories that I could remember lay in that house, but now it was time for new ones…